False! Nigeria did not deploy troops for joint peacekeeping mission to Israel

Claim: A Facebook user claims Nigeria has sent troops for a peacekeeping mission to Israel.

Verdict: False! No credible source to support this claim. We also found that AI is used to generate the video. 

Full Text

On June 13, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the commencement of Operation Rising Lion, initiating a long-planned military offensive against Iran. This action marks the most substantial Israeli attack on Iran since the 1980-1989 Iran-Iraq War.

This recent war has resulted in significant casualties, widespread destruction, and growing fears of a broader war between other countries. 

Amidst this, Facebook user Heirkings posted a video stating that Nigeria sent troops for a joint peacekeeping mission in Israel. 

The one-minute video shows a male broadcaster from TBC News reporting on the mission. In the video, the broadcaster notes that Nigeria is proud to extend its strategic defence training to key global alliances. 

“This is a friendship mission, not a combat. The troops will participate in a solidarity programme designed to enhance global cooperation and international allies,” the man in the video said. 

He also noted that International allies have praised the initiative, symbolising African leadership and global defence collaboration. 

As of June 24, 2025, the video had garnered 3,300 likes, 474 comments, and 514 shares.  Another user also shared the post here. 

In the comments, Facebook user Steve Bosun expressed his displeasure. He wrote, “Crisis in Benie, Boro. In the western part of Nigeria, they can’t do anything. Yet they’re sending troops to other nations. It’s very shameful.” 

Another user, Mfon Adoki, wrote, “Hmmmm no, I understand that my country na cruise. Herdsmen are killing innocent villagers, and they can’t do anything but now sending troops to a country that can take care of themselves. Uwooh!”

Given the potential for misrepresentation and the possibility that this claim could spark unrest and confusion, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim.

Verification 

DUBAWA noticed discrepancies in the video, particularly in the broadcaster, whose clothes and hair appear to change. Initially, he appears in a blue suit and is bald; later, he is seen in a darker blue suit, a red tie, and with more hair. This was the first red flag.

We conducted a keyword search and found no news reports from any credible media organisation. Instead, we saw News updates from Voice of Nigeria with the headline “Nigeria Deploys 197 Troops for Peacekeeping Mission in Gambia.” 

Suspecting the video was manipulated, we subjected it to Hive Moderation, an AI detector. The verification result indicated a 99% likelihood of the video being AI-generated.

For further analysis, we ran the video on Deepware AI, another tool for detecting AI content in videos and voices. The results revealed that the video was 99% AI-generated because of the weights used. Another model, Ensemble, analysed the weight and type of video, showing that the video had 93% AI content. 

We also checked the social media handle pages of the Presidency and the Ministry of Defence, which did not state the purported deployment.

Conclusion

This claim is false. The video used to drive the narrative that Nigeria has sent troops for a peacekeeping mission to Israel is AI-generated, and no credible news organisation reported this claim.